“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”– Oprah Winfrey
The holiday season is a time when everyone wants to make lasting memories. The house is filled with the aroma of turkey and freshly baked pies. Every decoration is perfectly in place. Children are wide-eyed with wonder and filled with the joy of the season. Families and friends join together to share peace, love and thankfulness.
Every single gesture you do is born from the spirit of giving during the holidays. Time-held traditions and values have meaning, from family recipes to get together time with friends. So, what happens when you have exhausted all of your energy in getting every little detail just perfect? Each year might be filled with things that just aren’t important or valued. Guilt or perfectionism drives you to fit everything in regardless of your well-being. This can leave you feeling empty, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
What if you made choices that were guided by what you value most? The holiday season is just an example of how days can be filled with some choices made out of obligation rather than value-driven decisions that matter most. Acts of love and kindness that come deep from your heart can give peace. Calmness and generosity is then a gift passed from person to person. This is not necessarily something we buy. It can be a deed that only requires a helping hand.
Gratitude. Gratitude is not only an offering to you but to everyone around you. Thankfulness is truly wealth that does not necessarily come from a bank account or wallet. A common teaching in gratitude is to step outside you by giving to another person. Giving yourself pity gets you stuck. By helping out the next person, you break the cycle of focusing on only problems. Your perspective changes immediately.
Goals. When stressed, it’s so easy to get lost in the number of things on a list versus what you value most. Think about adding the following goals to your list. Take time to step away and be with your loved ones. Close your computer up and share time with your partner. Maybe you value having dinner every night with your family. Review your goals and make sure your list contains more than productivity tasks.
Go Do What Matters Most. You know what your grateful for and you have made goals around the holidays. Now go do the things that matter most. Don’t put off something that means a great deal to you and your loved ones.
The best gift ever given is just being you. Every day can be a holiday. Go celebrate!
Lisa, this is so good: Calmness and generosity is then a gift passed from person to person. This is not necessarily something we buy. It can be a deed that only requires a helping hand.
And looking at what matters most is a great way to manage your life — from the big things down to the small.